Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, development of printing techniques has advanced which allows an image forming apparatus to directly print image data stored in a mobile terminal by sending a printing instruction from the mobile terminal to the image forming apparatus. In the field of the printing techniques, development of authentication printing techniques that are intended to improve information security has also advanced in which when an image forming apparatus receives a printing instruction from a mobile terminal, user authentication is performed of a user who uses the mobile terminal.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-138071 discloses an authentication printing technique in which an image forming apparatus performs authentication based on a device identifier of a mobile terminal when the mobile terminal sends a printing instruction to the image forming apparatus, and performs authentication printing when the device identifier of the mobile terminal is authenticated. In the authentication printing technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-138071, when a printing instruction is sent from the mobile terminal to the image forming apparatus, a device identifier unique to the mobile terminal is added to image data and transmitted to a document management server. Then, a user who carries the mobile terminal moves closer to the image forming apparatus, operates an operation unit of the image forming apparatus, and sends a printing instruction to the image forming apparatus. When a printing instruction is received from the operation unit, the image forming apparatus executes processing to detect mobile terminals located around the image forming apparatus through a detection device included in the image forming apparatus. When the detection device detects a mobile terminal, the image forming apparatus acquires a device identifier unique to the mobile terminal through the detection device. On the detection of the mobile terminal, the image forming apparatus receives image data corresponding to the received printing instruction from the document management server. Then, if the device identifier unique to the mobile terminal received through the detection device and the device identifier unique to the mobile terminal added to the image data received from the document management server match, the image forming apparatus executes printing processing. A printing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-138071 achieves authentication printing by performing the above-described processing.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-178083 discloses another authentication printing technique. In the authentication printing technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-178083, an image forming apparatus registers in advance a device identifier unique to a mobile terminal in a device registration table. If a device identifier of a mobile terminal acquired through a short-range communication processing unit is identical to a device identifier unique to the mobile terminal registered in advance in an authentication server, the image forming apparatus transmits login information required for user authentication to the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal tries user authentication to a printing system by using the received login information. If login to the printing system is successful, the mobile terminal causes a job management server to transmit a print job to the image forming apparatus. In the authentication printing technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-178083, authentication printing from the mobile terminal is achieved by performing the above-described processing.